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Habitat Fragmentation Impacts Arthropod Species

Figure from the activity

Topic

  • Ecology
  • Communities
  • Environmental Science
  • Conservation
  • Math & Computational Skills
  • Graph Interpretation

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Data Points

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
6 Users
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Description

This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that explored habitat fragmentation and corridors in a model ecosystem. 

Human activities are breaking many wild habitats into smaller, more isolated fragments. Connecting these fragments to other habitats using corridors may help more species survive. In this study, scientists created fragments and corridors in patches of moss, which are habitats for tiny arthropods called mites. The figure shows the number of mite species found in different moss fragments, which varied in their connectivity to a larger moss patch (M). Some fragments had no corridors (I), some had uninterrupted corridors (C), and some had broken corridors (B).

The “Educator Materials” document includes a captioned figure, background information, graph interpretation, and discussion questions. The “Student Handout” includes a captioned figure and background information. 

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.
 

Student Learning Targets

  • Analyze and interpret data from a scientific figure. 
  • Explain how habitat fragmentation and corridors can impact species richness.
     

Estimated Time

Within one 50-minute class period.

Key Terms

bar graph, connectivity, fragment, error bar, island biogeography, local extinction, patch, rescue effect, species richness, wildlife corridor

Primary Literature

Gonzalez, Andrew, and Enrique J. Chaneton. “Heterotroph species extinction, abundance and biomass dynamics in an experimentally fragmented microecosystem.” Journal of Animal Ecology 71, 4 (2002): 594–602. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2656.2002.00625.x.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 12.16.21

NGSS 2013

HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6; SEP2, SEP4, SEP5

AP Biology 2019

SYI-2.B, SP1, SP4

IB Biology 2016

4.1, C.4

AP Environmental Science 2020

Topic(s): 2.3, 9.10
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-2.D, EIN-4.C; SP3, SP5
 

IB Environmental Systems and Societies 2017

2.2, 3.4

Common Core 2010

ELA.RST.9–12.7
MP2, MP5
 

Vision and Change 2009

DP2, DP3

Materials

Resource Google Folder (link)
Educator Materials (PDF) 521 KB
Student Handout (PDF) 357 KB
Figure (JPG) 336 KB
Extension Figure (JPG) 70 KB

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